Double-Edged

What makes us human? An existentialist investigation

Uriel Abulof Ph.D., Shirley Le Penne

Why Authoritarian Leaders Are Like Toxic Therapists

Fusing heroism and victimhood, authoritarian leaders become "mighty martyrs." This cannot be stopped without realizing their malignant politico-therapy.

Hail Caesar! When Personal Resentments Spur Political Revenge

You can’t always get what you want—but you can make others suffer for it. Some leaders are all too happy to teach us how.

Self-Determination Is Key to End Putin's Charade and Avoid Escalation

How can we avoid a nuclear catastrophe and build a better world order? The answer is hidden in Putin's rhetoric: self-determination.

Love Is an Hourglass—And We Can Flip It, Again and Again

Love and lust can last, but only if we lose our illusion of independence and embrace our freedom fully.

The Biological Origins of Sexuality vs. Freedom

Imagine you fall in love with someone who doesn’t care for you, but you can use a magic potion that will make them love you or make you stop loving them. Would you?

Love’s a Drug Until It Becomes a Drag

All things pass, love is no exception, but it is exceptional in how we wish it won’t. Together forever. Or not. How long does love last? How long can it?

Happy 2022! To Heaven Through Hell?

Covid is what happens when you’re busy planning your new year celebration in an outdoor hot tub. I was soon joined by Dante and Dalí.

Does the Universe Ask Us to Love?

Does the universe ask us to love? Carl Sagan, who died 25 years ago today, answered with a resounding "yes."

Frederick McCubbin, Home Again, 1884

Homesick in Israel

Home is a place of belonging, which turns in upon itself once it becomes part of our belongings — in personal and political life.

July 4th Soul-Searching and the Liberal Uncanny

The United State of America’s 245th birthday is a cause for celebration and for soul searching. How should we remember the January 6th Capitol attack?

Has COVID Fueled Existential Anxiety?

Face masks reveal what they seek to conceal: existential fear on the rise.

Bullying: Why Does It Work? How Can We Fight It?

Does our self-worth depend more on people who hardly know us, than upon ourselves? If so, perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised that bullies get to us, personally and politically.

Should We Pursue Awe, and Can We, Without God?

We are always above a precipice. Perhaps, then, the very evanescence of everything can comfort and inspire us? The search for answers can begin in stars, and in rainbows.

How Can You Be So Cruel?

Stanley Milgram wanted to find out how the Nazis could be so cruel, but ended up suggesting we all can, and quite easily. A report on the Puppetry of Evil.

Can We Sit Quietly in a Room Alone?

We should have been well prepared for social distancing. We aren't. Humans still want solidarity and intimacy, but to truly gain both we should relearn to embrace solitude.